Locomotive-smoke-box wall construction



l atented Feb. 5, 1929.

t ll.

J'OfiEEH F. GRIFFIN, F TEANECK, NEW JERSEY, ASESIGNOE TC! SUPERHLEATER CJQMPCANY, GE HER? YUEl-K, lil'. Y. i

LOCGMO'EIVE-SIVEOKE*EUX WALL CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed July 16, 1925. Serial No. 4 2,020.

My invention relates to locomotives and has particular reference to a form of construction applicable to Sll'lOlie-lGOX walls where it is necessary for conduits to pass there-through.

la locon'lotive operation it is necessary in order to obtain the necessary capacity to work the boiler under forced draft, and this is usually obtained by the ejector action of the eX- haust steam from the locomotive engine. discharged from an exhaust pipe located in the locon'iotive smolzebox directly under an extension of the locomotive stack which passes through the smoke-box wall. In order to maintain the required dra'it through the boiler fiues, it is necessary that the sme re-hor; of the locomotive be. kept airtight, a condition which is diiiicult to obtain and maintain because of leakage which develops at the points where the locomotive stack and other necessary conduits must pass through the smoke-box wall.

It is the general object of my invention v therefore. to provide an improved form of construction for smoke-box walls, whereby conduits may pass there-through without being subject to leakage at the joints where they pass through the smoke-box walls, although it will be evident as the description proceeds that my invention may be applied to other terms of construction where similar conditions prevail.

in the standard form oi" stack (JOZlZ-TliillGtlOII the stack is divided into upper and lower sections, the upper section being ermed m 'h an external flange intermmliate its end; which is secured to the exterior of the smoke box shellarmmd an opening in the latter through which the flanged lower end oil the upper stack section extends. lhe lower stack section removabr secured to this flanged end forms a shirt e tending downwardly to a point just above the draft creating exhaust nozzle. The form of the upper stack section makes it extremely diliicult, ii not im ossible, to machine the lower taco of the stack flange to the contour necessary to bring it into close contact along its entire circumference with the curved SilflOlfQO-bOX sheet, and this diiiiculty is enhanced by the fact that while the smoke box sheet is theoretically a true circle in crosssection, there is very often as a matter of practice considerable variation from this theoretical form by the time the smoke-box sheet is in its assembled position. For this reason the lower flange face must, in accordance with the present practice, be laboriously chipped by hand until it conforms as closely as possible to the outline of the sheet after which it is secured in place usually by means of bolts and as tight a joint as possible secured by the use of some form of 'l'lexible packing held in position by compression between the sheet and the flange.

The form oi construction just described does not provide a atisiactorily tight joint between the stack and the smehebox wall and by my invention i provide a term of construction in which the general form of stack usually employed is retained but which provides a novel form of juncture between the stack and the smokebor; wall, whereby the usual troublesome curved joint is eliminated and a form of joint provided \vnich may be easily kept airtight.

in aecor ance with my inwention asillustrated in the accompai'iying drawing, 1 provide over-the opening 10 in the smoke-box sheet 11 a member 12 having a wall portion 13, and a flat inwardly extendiu flange l t. extending inwardly to a central opcnin conorining substantially to the cross section of e stack. The lower end of the wall portion of the member 12 may, because of the form of the member be machined readily to fit the curved surface of the sheet 11 and is welded by any oi the well-lmmvn methods to the wall ll, as at l5, the welded joim: torn iing a permanent and air-tight joint between the smoke-box wall and the member l2.

It will be obvious. bower mg, that because oi the welded joint at the expense oi nu" chinii'ig the member 12 may not necessarily be resorted to as the weld will serve to eifective ly close any openings caused by inequalities between the SlllOliG-dJOf-I wall and the member 12, and for this reason it the latter is cast it may be cast to approximatelythe form re quired and thereafter welded in place without either chinin or chipping. In the form il. l Hi. the llange 1% is upset about the central opening to form a transverse web 15 having; an upper flat bearing face 17, and a similar lower face 17, but it will be apparent that the upsetting may be omitted and the bearing faces iiorn'ied directly on the flange.

The upper portion of the stack is formed by a member 18 having a flange 19 at too bottom thereof, which is suital ly recessed to fit the upper bearing; face 17 of the flange 1 The lower stack extension 20 is formed with 2 1,7oo,sss

a flange 21, similar in form to the flange 19, and similarly recessed to fit the lower bearing face 17 of the flange 14. The opening 10 is made large enough to permit the flange 21 to pass there-through and the stack is assembled by fitting the upper and lower portions thereof respectively over the upper and lower faces of the flange l l, after which they are held in position by means of suitable fastenings, such as the through bolts 22, passing through suitable openings in the flanges l9 and 21, and in the intermediate flange 14.- The flat bearing surfaces 17 and 1'?" of the flange ll, as well as the corresponding recesses in the flanges it) and 21, may readily be machined. and finished so that a tight metal to metal joint may be made, or if desired, a copper or other eilicient form of gasket may housed in making the joint.

It will thus be seen that by very simple and inexpensive form of construction a readily removable stack of the desired form may be provided which will secure a tight joint at the smoke-box wall, and which will materially reduce the expense both of manufacture and of maintenance.

l/Vhile I have described my invention in connection with a locomotive stack, it is to be understood that it is not limited solely to this use, but is applicable to such forms of construction as may fall Within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the class described, a locomotive smoke-box sheet having an opening therein, a member encompassing said opening and welded to said sheet, said member including a flangeportion extending inwardly to and providedwith upper and lower bearing faces around a central opening and above the opening in said sheet, a stack member having a lower end. engaging said upper face, a second stack member having an upper end extending through the opening in said sheet and engaging said lower face, and clamping means extending through said stack members and said flange to hold the former in engagement with the latter.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a locomotive smoke-box sheet having an opening therein, a member encon'ipassing said opening and welded to said sheet, said member including a flange portion extending in wardly to and provided with upper and lower plane bearing faces around a central opening andabove the opening in said sheet, an upper stack member having a flat end engaging said upper face, a lower stack mem ber having a flat end extending through the opening in said sheet and engaging said lower face, and clamping means extending through said stack members and said flange to hold the former in contact with the latter, whereby a flat-surfaced joint is secured there-between.

illn apparatus of the class described, a locomotive s nolcebox sheet having an opening in the top thereof, a hollow member encompassing said opening and extending thereabove, one end of said member conforming substantially to the curvature of said sheet and being welded thereto, the other end terminating in an inwardly extending flange having upper and lower bearing faces around a central opening and above the opening in said sheet, an upper stack member having an end engaging said upper face, a lower stack member having an end extending through the opening in said sheet and engaging said lower face, and clamping means passing through said stack members anl said lange to hold the former in engagement with the latter.

4:. In apparatus of the class described, a locomotive smoke-box sheet having an opening in the top thereof, a hollow member encompassing said opening, one end of said member conformin g substantially to the curvature of said sheet and being welded to the upper side thereof, the other end terminating in an inwardly extending flange having plane upper and lower bearing faces around a central opening and above the opening in said sheet, an upper stack member having a flat end engaging saie upper face, a lower staclr member having a flat end extending through the opening in said sheet and engaging said lower face, and clamping means extending through said stack members and said flange to hold the former in contact with the latter, whereby a flat surfaced joint is socured there-between.

JOSEPH F. GRIFFIN. 

